Something like this is so night and day when compared to his veto of a recent NJ marriage equality bill. But what’s even more odd, progressive yet kind of intriguing is the fact that Christie attached a note to the bill saying he believes ‘people are born gay and that homosexuality is not a sin.’

Not only does this contradict his Catholic faith, but it’s also bound to get him into trouble with the GOP, though it doesn’t seem like Christie really GAF about what the far right will think of him, and that’s probably because he’s catching on to the reality that his new celebrity will likely be more than enough to put him as the front runner.

It’s not hard to see that of all the Republican’s vying to run for president in 2016, Christie is the one with the most star appeal, is actually likable and stands to make the Republican party a little more palatable to liberal and moderate Americans.

Still, it’s important to note that his beliefs about homosexuality don’t have too much to do with why he decided to sign the bill. Instead, Christie felt the damaging psychological effects (suicide, depression) associated with sexual re-orientation therapy/torture on children and teens outweigh the alleged benefits of gay conversion therapy, and that it is in his best interest to side with what will keep children and teens in NJ safe.

Despite the fact it’s too early to tell how altruistic of a decision this really is and whether or not it’s politically motivated, it’s so obvious that Chris Christie is working towards distinguishing himself from the rest of his party, and this time in a good way.

But how will RNC Chairman Reince Priebus react to Governor Christie’s most recent decision?